Trump takes credit for immigration debate

Donald Trump said just one candidate is the reason why illegal immigration is in the national discourse: himself.

The real estate mogul and 2016 Republican nominee said if it were not for him, illegal immigration wouldn’t be a topic of discussion at all among the Republican primary field.

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“So, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be talking about illegal immigration, Chris. You wouldn’t even be talking about it. This was not a subject that was on anybody’s mind until I brought it up at my announcement,” Trump said at Thursday’s main Republican presidential debate in Cleveland in response to a question from Fox’s Chris Wallace.

“And I said, ‘Mexico is sending.’ Except the reporters, because they’re a very dishonest lot, generally speaking, in the world of politics, they didn’t cover my statement the way I said it. The fact is since then many killings, murders, crime, drugs pouring across the border, our money going out and the drugs coming in. And I said, ‘We need to build a wall. And it has to be built quickly. And I don’t mind having a big beautiful door in that wall so that people can come into this country legally.”

When Trump announced his candidacy for president, he said Mexico is sending drugs, crime and rapists to the United States through illegal immigration. He’s since received widespread criticism from both Republicans and Democrats for that remark.

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems with us,” Trump said in his announcement speech. “They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.”